Leaf type electrical connectors are well known in the connector art and typically are mounted onto a base having threaded holes formed therein on each end of the connector housing. The threaded holes accommodate threaded fasteners attached to or incorporated into one portion of the connector which pull the connector on a cable into and maintain reliable, continuous contact between the electrical contacts of connector housing and the electrical contacts of the connector.
Alternatively, some connector housings are provided with wire or "spring" type latches which may be pulled up and engaged with complementary engaging surfaces on the electrical connector to insure that the electrical connector remains reliably attached to the electrical connector housing. The actual electrical connection is made by a male member supporting a plurality of leaf connectors or contacts on typically two sides of the male member, which then is inserted into a complementarily shaped female member containing similar electrical leaf contacts to engage with the contacts on the male member. After plugging the two elements together, the electrical connector housing assembly is engaged by the threaded retaining fastener extending through the support member of a leaf electrical connector and the fastener tightened to hold the two elements together. Alternatively, a spring latch may be used instead of the threaded fastener to maintain reliable electrical contact between the electrical connector and the electrical connector housing.
In some environments, space is extremely constrained and it is still necessary to provide a plurality of such connectors and connector housings of standard size, typically adjacent to each other, but which also consume scarce or non-existent space. Due to these space constraints in some instances, two such connectors and connector housings may not be positioned adjacent to each other and still be positioned within the confines of the allocated space. One alternative is to reduce the size of the connectors and connector housings and, therefore, the size of the contact leafs. This approach may require non-standard devices and threatens the reliability of the connectors and the resultant connection and, therefore, is not desirable.
Where the space constraints are rigid, there is no effective alternative such as increasing the allocated space for the connector. More efficient use of the limited space becomes the alternative. The more efficient use of the available space requires alternatives to the prior art techniques and devices.